Rotary sprinklers capable of covering non-circular patterns are well known in the art and are constructed on the basis of a number of operational principles. Many of the sprinklers of this type employ a cam which operates a mechanism for governing the range of the spray as a function of the azimuthal angle of the nozzle with respect to a set of coordinates defined with respect to the sprinkler base.
One type of cam operated sprinklers employs a cam operated valve for governing the water flow to the sprinkler as a function of the azimuthal orientation of the nozzle. This type is exemplified in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,824,765; 3,528,093; 3,878,990; 3,884,416; 2,739,839; 2,600,987; 4,119,275; 2,884,202; 3,881,655; 2,780,488. Another type of cam operated sprinkler employs a cam operated device for changing the angle of elevation of the nozzle. This type is exemplified by the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,475,537; 3,952,954; 2,979,271; 3,960,327; 3,091,399.
Yet another type of cam operated sprinklers employs an auxiliary nozzle U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,835,529 and 2,459,244 illustrate such a construction.
Still another type of cam operated sprinklers employs a cam-operated deflector for producing a non-circular pattern. This type is exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,191,331; 2,654,635; 3,654,817; 2,565,926.
Other patents of interest in this field, including patents which show apparatus for converting rotary sprinklers from part circle to whole circle operation include the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,944,743; 3,841,563; 3,874,588; 3,924,809; 3,918,642; 3,921,912.